Eating well

Colourful fruit and vegetables with a tape measure and a bottle of water

Now more than ever it is important to ‘Eat well’. Choosing a wide variety of foods and well balanced meals can help you feel better, maximise your energy levels and build up good immunity. This is especially important as you prepare for your treatment.

Useful tips:

Try to have at least three meals per day.
Include starchy carbohydrates at each meal – for example cereals, bread, potatoes, rice, chapattis and pasta. A portion is typically 2-3 tablespoons/1 slice.
Aim for 2-3 portions of dairy items or dairy-free alternatives every day to help support your bone health. If you are overweight, choose the lower fat variety. A portion is typically one pot of yoghurt, matchbox size piece of cheese or 200ml of milk.
Aim to include protein with each meal – such as meat, chicken, fish, egg, nuts, beans, lentils, pulses, Quorn© or tofu.
Try to include at least 5 portions of different fruit and vegetables each day. One portion is roughly the size of your clenched fist. Fresh, dried, tinned and frozen varieties are all suitable.
Aim for at least 6-8 glasses of fluid throughout the day.
A vitamin D supplement of 10 micrograms/day is recommended if your access to sun light is reduced or you are isolating indoors. Discuss with your healthcare professional if you are unsure if you should take a supplement.

To find out more information on healthy eating visit:

NHS The Eatwell Guide here

Macmillan recipes for people with cancer

If you are underweight, are losing weight or have a poor appetite

You should try to eat three meals a day with snacks and nourishing drinks in between. Try including mixed nuts, yoghurts, cheese and crackers, toast, crumpets or full fat milk, hot chocolate, milkshakes or smoothies
If you eat low fat or 'diet' type foods, switch to the full fat or full calorie equivalents as the extra energy in them may halt or slow any unintentional weight loss
Aim to include some protein foods in each meal and snack, such as meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, beans and nuts
Try enriching your foods by adding extra calories to them, for example add cheese to soup, pasta, mash potato or vegetables. Add extra butter, margarine to vegetables, bread or scrambled egg
Take drinks after meals rather than with meals so that they do not fill you up.

Useful resources:

If you are worried about weight loss, the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool here will provide you with first line advice on how to prevent you losing further weight. You may need to see a dietitian for individual support. Speak to your keyworker or other healthcare professional if you feel you need more support or advice.

Building up diet for people with cancer

There are also a range of mobile phone Apps available to download from Google Play or the Apple App Store - visit our Lifestyle Apps and Resources page here